colemizestudios

https://youtu.be/hoTv0mAesVg
A common struggle many artists face who are learning how to rap is coming up with a preset of cadences that they can use to feel out which rap beats to flow on in order to determine if they feel like the beat is right for them in the first place. In this article I'm going to share a few easy to learn cadences that you can use as a starting point to get you going. So without further ado LET'S GET IT!
Cadence Presets
Now cadence presets are cadences that you have previously learned and have them stored within your on internal memory. Chances are you have already … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Picking Which Rap Beats To Flow On

A common obstacle many artists face when learning how to rap is not knowing where to place verses and hooks due to a lack of understanding about song structure. In this article I will break down what song structure is and show you how to process all of the information that the instrumental is giving you.
https://youtu.be/i77CRLPC3Dg
What's Song Structure?
Now we previously looked into what structured lyrics are. Now lets define what song structure means. Song Structure is the order or pattern in which sections of the song such as verses, hooks & bridges are presented and or repeated. … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Song Structure

http://youtu.be/S4GeG766ju0
Taking The First Step
When you are learning how to rap you may find it difficult at times when deciding how you should rap to an instrumental. We have all been there and none of us are exempt from this hurdle. However I would like to discuss a technique that works for me quite often, I simply call it "dissecting beats".
Planting Your Feet
When using this technique I simply load up an instrumental and start listening for the snare drum which typically falls on the 2nd and 4th beat. This allows me to easily establish my 4 count. If you are unaware of what counts … [Read more...] about How To Rap – Dissecting Beats

http://youtu.be/Se73DBLj7wo
Blocked Out
One common problem that up and coming rappers run into when they are learning how to rap is how to come up with new cadences. If you don't know what cadences are please check out this video & article Cadence Explained. As artists we often run into writers block and cadence is no exception. So allow me to suggest a very effective way to remedy this issue.
The Concept Of Evolution
If you listen to some of the first rap songs ever made and compare them to some of your favorite rappers today it is very clear that rappers have gotten better. Why is … [Read more...] about How To Rap – Creating Cadence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDIyV73qaQA
Wanna Stand Out?
When you are learning how to rap one thing that will make you stand out from most of your colleagues is learning how to add character to your cadence. In my previous article "Cadence Explained" I broke down what cadence is along with a live demonstration of how I practice my cadences in the studio. Now lets go just a little deeper and discuss how you can add more character to your cadence.
What's The Goal?
I would like to submit to you a theory that in art perfection is not the goal but is rather creating something that is unique … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Adding Character To Cadence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATsFDZlvVto
One question that I often get asked from people who are learning how to rap is how they can improve their cadence. If you are unaware of what cadence is it basically means "rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words". Basically cadence has to do with your style & flow of how you are delivering your rhymes to the tempo of the beat. If you haven't learned how rap in time with the beat I suggest you watch these two videos Establishing Rhythm pt.1 & Establishing Rhythm pt.2. It's important to know how to establish your rhythm first because … [Read more...] about How To Rap – Cadence Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hoqNao8vz8
What Are Spot Stacks?
Another very important recording technique to understand when you are learning how to rap is something called spot stacks. In my previous article, I explained what stacks are. Spot stacks are very similar to stacks but instead of them consisting of a whole copy of your main vocal they only feature certain parts.
Why Spot Stacks?
Spot stacks are typically used to highlight specific parts of your main vocal recording. This could be needed for several reasons. Perhaps you were running out of breath on your main recording and … [Read more...] about Recording Rap Vocals: Spot Stacks Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVpqZQrDEM
What Are Stacks?
When you are learning how to rap it's only a matter of time before you set foot in a studio to start recording. If you are new to recording then chances are you may not be familiar with what stacks are. Stacks are also called "dubs" which is short for "double" which basically means you record your entire main vocals again on a separate track.
Why Use Them?
The reason this is such a common practice in recording studios is because recording stacks can give your vocals a bigger sound. Tho this is a very helpful technique for … [Read more...] about Recording Rap Vocals – Understanding Stacks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEFAZzCRqW0
Puzzled Faces
When you are learning how to rap one word that you are going to eventually come across are ad-libs. Most rappers never learn the importance of this word until they are in the studio recording and the engineer asks them "do you want to do some ad-libs?". I know this for a fact because I have been that engineer asking that very same question to artists. Every now and then the artist will look back at me with a puzzled face and curiously ask "What are ad-libs?".
Improvisation
Ad-lib is actually short for the word ad libitum which means … [Read more...] about How To Rap – Understanding Ad-libs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHN60O_Dfg
BPM
When you are learning how to rap one of the most important things that you need to grasp is how to count. By count I mean understanding how to count your beats per measure. Think of this as the foundation to a house. If the foundation is not rock solid then the house will always be unstable. The same applies to rapping. If you don't learn how to count your beats per measure you will often be off beat and your rhythms wont have any solid structure to them. This article is a follow up to my previous post about establishing rhythm. Let's dig … [Read more...] about How To Rap: Establishing Rhythm pt.2